Still stung from their surprising loss to the New York Red Bulls in last year's semifinals, the Houston Dynamo is determined to get back into position to win their third MLS title in four years, and happy to open the 2009 season against the 2008 champ Columbus Crew on Saturday.

But without key contributors like forward Nate Jaqua, playmaker Dwayne De Rosario and recently injured defender Eddie Robinson, determination might only take them so far. Rather than dwell on those that departed, the Dynamo is hopeful that defender Bobby Boswell and midfielder Stuart Holden can fit right in.

Summing up the attitude in the Houston camp, veteran defender Craig Waibel states "We are not a team that loses and then takes any kind of satisfaction with a good loss. There is no such thing as a good loss for this organization. Last year was a year that we achieved a lot considering all the competitions that we were in, but we did not bring home any trophies, so yeah, there is a bit of a chip on our shoulder."